These wonderful items were born out of a custom request but are now available in shop!

Perfect for heading to the store to stock up on all the brunch supplies you would need for the perfect party ie. waffles, bacon and eggs!

The Ethel Tote measures 13” wide x 10” tall x 5” deep:

Matching Wallet:

Or perhaps you just want to treat yo self to a special gift, because you are amazing and wish to laugh every time you head out the door.

Whatever the reason, I'm always happy to work with you as your personal seamstress to create the bag of your fandom dreams! Feel free to get in touch by sending me a message anytime.

Now, I'm off to go get some delicious waffles!

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https://www.stellarevolutiondesigns.com/blogs/creating/upcoming-events-winterfest-feb-24th-20192018-02-05T23:50:00-06:002018-02-06T00:05:23-06:00Upcoming Events: Winterfest, Feb 24th, 2018Brenda Giesbrecht
OMG you guys! I was one of the lucky artists picked in the raffle to score a table at this year's Winterfest!

What is Winterfest?

Presented by Ai-kon, Winterfest is a mini version of their annual multi-day event in July. It will be a magical place where people come to share the experience of Japanese culture, anime, arts and entertainment to escape the winter blahhhs.

As I work to create more designs on fabric and in 3D this event is one that really inspires me to get creative and share my work!

Why the Dolls?

As a maker, I love to obviously, make things, with my hands and have an item at the end of it all. I love to mix and match colours and patterns, even if my not so helpful broken eyes make that quite challenging some days. I enjoy fashions and challenges. How was I NOT in this hobby before?

I only got into Asian ball jointed dolls by being asked to sew up some items over a year ago, but I am hooked! Being able to create a character and their world, look, dress, photograph it and build a story is really fun. I may also like being the ultimate ruler and, as my business card states, Creative Mastermind [of their Universe].

And, when you have a disease like Multiple Sclerosis, where most days I feel like I'm in control of nothing about my body, it allows me a place where I can, if only for a brief time, focus on something that isn't terribly painful or off-kilter.

The detail you can go into with miniatures is super fun when you add technology to the mix! I will be showcasing some of the 3D resin ball jointed robots, named Robotica, I have printed and painted at my table. 10% of the proceeds of any of Robotica's sold will be going to charity.

I also specialize in 3D printed glasses for BJD's. Nerding things to the max I also customize frames to fit Funko Pop Vinyls for those who wish to customize one of themselves or others, especially for wedding cakes apparently, or for other smaller dolls with specific design specifications like Barbies!

I am hoping to bring a small selection of handmade with care clothes and bags for dollies in sizes ranging from SD, MSD and YOSD.

Interested in ball jointed dolls?The Local Winnipeg BJD group will also be there with a table to answer any questions and displaying various types and styles of dolls as well!

Humans Need Fun Things Too!

I'm not forgetting about regular sized humans! I will also have an assortment of other kawaii and geeky items for human size fans including book bags, coin purses and wallets...

I can't wait for this event as it is always so well organized, super colourful and totally fun! If this sounds at all interesting, please do come check it out!

You may remember my large sized (58cm tall) 3d printed Robotica from ABS filament I created last year, here is the post to jog the memory.

Well, the Hubby and I tuned the little resin printer over the holidays and were able to create 4 little robots that are as adorable as they could be deadly...

How little are they?

The smallest piece printed of a 20cm tall Robotica ball jointed doll is the eyeball. Measuring in at 3.3mm in size, the eyeball can be painted and a small drop of clear epoxy placed on top to give the ball a curved surface is what creates a little eyeball shape to place inside the head!

Each limb is strung with 1.3mm elastic to allow her to be posed in many different positions, from adorably sitting in your palm:

To doing morning yoga:

To remind you to meditate at your workspace:

Putting All the Pieces Together

It does take a LARGE amount of time and a considerable amount of knowledge, skill, and trials to get each piece to print perfectly and piece all of them together.

Want to watch me put a Robotica together? Here's a little video of me piecing together the pink and gold Robotica!

Of course, that is before doing any painting with a magnifying glass and other tiny brushes.

But it really is a great model to express different styles of armor and colours if you so choose. The resin is easy to paint on and I used Liquitex to do all the sealing coats as on of my fave YouTuber's Nicole's Dreams describes in this tutorial below or linked over HERE on YouTube.

I do commend the designer, Sonia Verdu for the beauty of the design of Robotica. You can view more of her work HERE. She also asks that 10% of the purchase price of her dolls be given to charity.

As you may or may not know I'm a HUGE supporter of the MS Society and have a yearly walk team called Scrambled Legs. It is a bit of a selfish endeavor, as I too am one who lives with this arch nemesis multiple sclerosis on a daily basis.

I have benefited from the support and guidance of the MS Society I am happy to donate. Without their support, the trials of MS would be much scarier and I'm not sure how I would continue to see any light through the completely unpredictable path of this debilitating disease.

To Each His or Her Own

"Everyone's a Geek of Something!" I never thought dolls would be a thing I would get into, but heck, now I'm in both feet, over the head. I never poke fun at anyone's thing they love, so long as it doesn't harm you, go for it!

What you are passionate about, brings you joy, helps you feel better about yourself, helps you heal, helps you express your creativity, teaches you new skills, the list is really endless. You do you!

For me, these little robots are amazing feats of 3D printed technology in my workshop. Future plans would be to design my own BJD, in the sketching process....dream big geeks, and find a few moments today to work on something you love!

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https://www.stellarevolutiondesigns.com/blogs/creating/cyber-monday-sale2017-11-23T15:07:00-06:002018-02-04T16:24:44-06:00Cyber Monday SaleBrenda Giesbrecht
Cyber Monday Sale will take 20% off all items in shop! Items will be created in December and ship in January.

Bethany was in search of glasses to fit Bratz dolls, yes, those highly made up, overly large headed dolls. I said I didn't have any glasses sized to fit those dolls at this time, but was game to create some just for her.

When I asked a friend if her daughter had any I could use to help scale glasses there was a resounding, "NOOOO way! They wear way too much make-up!". So I found some at the local thrift store and together we were able to work over the internet, her in Australia and me here in Canada, to tweak the sizing to fit the dolls!

Bethany is quite the artist, taking those highly over processed dolls and transforming them into MUCH more kid-friendly, age-appropriate, adorable little dolls!

I needed to learn more about Bethany and her making, and I thought you would like to as well, so here is a little interview and some fabulous before and after photos of her work with Bratz dolls, some wearing the glasses we worked so hard on to fit their cute little faces!

What got you started?

My daughter was 4 and I had never bought her a doll. I didn’t like the options on the shelves in the shops. My husband came across a Lady who upcycled Bratz dolls.

They were beautiful but unfortunately, I could not afford her work. So I decided to make my own for my Daughter. I bought a second-hand doll and got to work. I found incredible satisfaction from scrubbing off the face and creating a new one.

My Daughter loved her and I got a lot of positive feedback from family and friends. I was encouraged to do more dolls. My mum then got on board with knitting the clothes. And from there Fairlight Dolls was created. My Mum and I work really well together and with skills combined, we were able to create a product worth selling.

Here are some of the clothes Bethany's mum creates:

What is the most challenging part?

Sometimes it challenging trying to find the time to work on the dolls with 2 small kids to look after.

Each Doll takes about 8-10 hours of work and so finding the time to create can be difficult.

What is the most rewarding part?

The most rewarding part is the connections I am making with people. Either through my FB page or at the market stall, I love chatting with people about the message that these dolls put into the world.

I love the fact that my dolls challenge peoples ideas about beauty! I love conversing with parents who are so relieved and thankful that there is a different option out there for their sons and daughters. I love putting something positive and good out into the world.

Here are Bethany's answers to the 3 questions I ask all artists/makers:

What is your favourite colour?

Blues!!

What is your favourite medium to work in/on? Why?

Polymer clay. I find it therapeutic to soften it, mix colours and make molds. I always seem to relax while working on my Dolls shoes.

What was the first craft project you can remember making?

I have done crafts since I was very young but I have a very clear memory of learning to cross stitch when I was about 9. And I have had a love for cross stitching ever since.

Makers going to Make!

I can't wait to make more stellar glasses for all her fresh-faced dolls! I just love it when makers are able to get together to create something wonderful! I also adore how they are matched to the outfits.

Scroll down to see even more images of Bethany's wonderful before and afters!

Do you wish to have something 3Dprinted for a doll?It never hurts to ask! Feel free to contact me anytime.

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https://www.stellarevolutiondesigns.com/blogs/creating/finished-object-friday-shiny-firefly-ethel-tote2017-10-20T17:57:00-05:002017-10-20T18:12:10-05:00Finished Object Friday: Shiny Firefly Ethel ToteBrenda Giesbrecht
With the leaves falling and the dark coming on so much faster these days, autumn is here, for us in the northern hemisphere anyway!

When I got an email request from a wonderful customer in the UK to do a Custom Ethel Tote Bag in warm browns and oranges, along with the absolutely amazing hand-drawn and watercolour painted "Shiniest skies in the Verse" orange colourway design by friend, fellow geek and collaborator Sarah, I was ALL IN!

She is hoping for it to arrive so she can take it to a Convention in December, so time was of the essence!

A few emails and we had all the details sorted and the order created!

The Custom Request: Ethel Tote

The dimensions for the body of the bag are:

The Ethel Tote measures 13” wide x 10” tall x 5” deep

This bag features:

Medium sized over the shoulder tote bag

Two exterior slip pockets.

Two slip pockets inside the bag.

Additions and modification made to the bag:

The straps to measure 25" rather than 19" inches long )

Added a zipper pocket inside

Invoicing and Fabric Order

Payment via my secure website can be taken via Paypal, most major credit cards and I can always work out EFT if you like. It was an easy transaction and fabric was immediately ordered! It arrived in approximately two weeks.

Making is Sew

Once I had the fabric in hand, I got to work. I usually try to do one day cutting, next day ironing/gluing, and third day finishing and topstitching. but I wanted to ensure I give this item as much time to get to the customer as possible, so within about 2 days with it as my sole focus it was brought to life!

Out in the Verse

This beautiful bag, yes, I'm jealous of it too, and a matching coin purse, is now on its way to the customer, and I hope nothing in the Verse will stop it! I can't wait for the customer will love it! I will be sending her photos of course!

Why be jealous when you could have a Shiny Firefly Tote of your very own? I'd love to build one just for you or create one as a gift for a Firefly fan you love!

Now available in my shop:

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https://www.stellarevolutiondesigns.com/blogs/creating/3d-printing-finishing-robotica-lives2017-10-06T20:37:00-05:002017-10-06T20:46:27-05:003D Printing & Finishing: Robotica Doll LivesBrenda Giesbrecht
When I started printing myself Robotica, the ball jointed doll (BJD) designed by Sonia Verdu, in May 2017 I knew it was going to be a challenging and full of learning project. And yeppers, it sure was! But in a good way!

Here is the original Robotica as printed and painted by Sonia (Files can be found on Thingiverse).

THE TECHNICAL DETAILS

Types of Printers Used

Yes, we have more than one printer. For technical junkies, it's a bit hard to give you 3D printer specifics, as my mechanically minded hubby build ours from the ground up, though we use both a corexy style:

and a delta style:

If you want to know more about which printers are good to start with I highly recommend checking out the YouTube channel Maker's Muse for all the details about getting into 3D printing!

Types of Slicer Progam Used

We use Simplify3D to get our programs print ready.

Type of Filament Used

We used all the ABS we had sitting around as it was plentiful in our shop and allowed us to use up colours we had no plans for, which generally worked well in our favour.

Downside to using random colours of filament is that you might use a bit more primer to get even coating and coverage depending on what you want your final paint job to be.

What Size?

While I was still awaiting the arrival of my first BJD, a new-to-me doll by Dreaming Doll company that went by the name of Molly that I had found on eBay from a marvelous lady. I changed her name to Dana Ripley. A perfect sci-fi name.

All I knew at the time Dana would be 58cm (23 in) tall! Twice as large as a Barbie which is 29cm (11.5 in)! So I was like, sure, let's make Robotica that size too!

That meant increasing each part we printed by 153% in scale! There were ONLY a few times we forgot to upscale and wasted a bit of filament..DOH!

I also had to remember she needed larger elastic to be strung with-4mm rather than 3mm from the original plan!

PRINTING THE PIECES

From May-June 2017 we continued to work on printing all the pieces that make up the doll. Some pieces were printed multiple times, as they failed, or turned to what we like to call "spaghetti", on numerous occasions.

Spaghetti Buffet

Welcome to 3D printing....cloudy with a chance of this....Not even close to being done, still had 9 hours to go, caught in time.

This set of hands were calling out for help!

I scream, you scream, we all scream,"Yikes, what happened!"

This isn't unusual and generally you begin to laugh at it. There are numerous causes, heat imbalances, spool rolled incorrectly, piece of filament got caught by nozzle and ruined some support object, etc.

We have webcams inside the machines and can view when we are away from home and can do an auto shut off if necessary. They are also in fire-proof boxes. Safety first.

Manos: The Hands of Wasted Time

If you haven't watched Mystery Science Theatre 3000, the first film being Manos: The Hands of Time (original on Netfilx) you might think this title spoof/joke to be odd. But joking about it with helped keep our sanity during the many repeat prints to get them just right!

The light blue mess of ice cream looking appendage above was supposed to turn out like this:

Normally in ball jointed dolls, the hands are on hooks and attached to the elastic cording. This allows them some movement and posing capabilities.

In Robotica, there is a print in place ball joint, with no connection to the elastic, and a rotating cuff and ball joint were two separate but connected pieces. In the doll world that generally makes collectors sad as it takes away the potential for posing possibilities.

These manos just weren't printing well enough for my liking, especially at the larger scale size. In fact, many of the supports weren't suitable for this larger scale, so we did have to make our own supports and do a few reprints.

So, we did modify the wrist cuffs and turned the hands into ball jointed connections, so they could be attached via s-hooks and then into the arm elastic, she now has more posing superpower! Weee!

Finished result:

I've also be shared those remixed hand and forearm files to Thingiverse HERE, should anyone wish to make this adjustment to their own Robotica.

SANDING, SANDING, SANDING AND...SANDING

June beging sanding while printing is ongoing...

So. Much. Sanding. Add some car putty to get rid of belly button. Why does cyborg have belly button? Maybe I should stop sanding for awhile...Wait till dry.

PAINTING 3D PRINTS

I Had a Plan...Sort Of...

I had an idea of the colours I wanted to use, and where I wished to use them. I also knew I didn't want a "Princess Leia" bikini look, but rather a cyborg jumpsuit with electric lines type deal. I'm a huge fan of teals and blues. I also thought maybe she would be an assassin...cause I'm a bit evil like that...

I had numerous terrible sketches, random watercolour pages, and late night scribbles that got me to where we ended up.

Supplies & Tools

We did have great help from Eliminator RC in terms of paint selection and did end up going with acrylic paints to paint this abs print that are airbrush ready for less smell, faster paint dry times, and available colours.

Priming all parts requires more cans than you think, especially with the odd colours of parts. And remember to protect your lungs!

Oh, and yeah, an airbrush. Budget kept us to a single action siphoned feed but as I've never used one before, it was cool with me. I'm totally one to buy the tools you can afford at the time and upgrade as you go.

Tips for Painting:

Practice on all those misprinted parts!!

Mask off areas with painters tape-it is your friend.

Use heat gun or hair dryer to help aid dry times (be careful not to overheat paint or burn yo'self)

Don't put down your clear coat spray paint you were using on the final painted pieces and then pick up the black primer the Hubby is using for something else that is sitting right next to it and then proceed to spray black primer on your nearly perfect finished piece!!!!! THE HORROR!!! Rectified by fast application of paint thinner and then repainting-ugh! At least it was on smaller piece and not large one! Guess the main tip is to do a check spray on scrap board before letting that spray loose on final pieces!

Also don't rinse your airbrush pieces over the sink drain, they will fit down it. Then you need to order a new set of needle pieces...live and learn!

September fades in and out as I clear coated and let cure for over a month, as I was awaiting silicone discs from Taiwan to put inside the joints of the doll, to prevent scratching of the paint inside the joints and to the ball portion of them.

I also created a few different eyes by 3D printing the eyes supplied in the design, and filling them with paint and then epoxy resin!

I prefer to be able to angle the eyes to express different emotions while photographing them, so I preferred my doll head eyeball-less. Plus what a fashion accessory!

I also hot glued the socket joints (smearing a bead of hot glue to a thin layer inside a joint which can be removed if needed) to give her some more friction which gave her the ability to help hold poses...

ROBOTICA ASSEMBLE!

October is here! The Once all the joints were ready to go, it was time. Time to string her together, no more waiting. Just do it. Come on, you can do this. OMG. It's real and I was kinda nervous!

STILL TO DO...

I'm pretty sure I will need to yet design and print a cool stand for her to protect her when she is out and about showing off!

I'd also love to create a unique carrying bag, like a rocket ship or a capsule or shipping crate. If you have an idea I'd love to hear it!

WAS IT WORTH IT?

I can now say, as she is now completed, in October 2017, 5 months later, that I surely learned much and spent many hours as well as funds. It was not cheaper to print my own doll, compared to buying one. No one will ever have this exact doll. She is my own blood, sweat and tears.

I enjoy the pleasure of immersing myself in a hobby, to see if I can build it, and enjoy seeing the success of the challenge completed as well as sharing my knowledge with others to help them complete their own.

What have you challenged yourself, your family or your friends to take on lately? What would you like to dabble in? Start with small projects, steps or just one YouTube video or tutorial, you will be amazed where it could lead!

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https://www.stellarevolutiondesigns.com/blogs/creating/meet-the-artist-lori-ebbitt-of-bijou-canoe2017-10-04T23:36:00-05:002017-10-05T00:01:01-05:00Meet the Artist: Lori Ebbitt of Bijou CanoeBrenda GiesbrechtI had the pleasure of attending the St. B Hive Artisan Market and Culture Days last week, on Friday, Sept. 29th. I had imagined how this day was going to play out in my head….

...scratching record sound...nope!

The show was wonderful! I found new lovers of my brain bags and 3D printed hearts! Many of the hospital staff asked if I had a medical background. Technically I had worked for the U of Manitoba as an A/V tech in the hospital back in the day. What a gig...

I saw more than my fair share of rounds and lectures, the same ones the medical students were sitting through (uh, some of them slept through). Of all the lectures, facial fractures and hand surgeries were the worst of the bunch. But I did learn quite a bit when not winching or closing my eyes!

But I digress...

You never know who you are going to meet at a market...

Little did I know that at this market I would meet a super neat gal, and geek, set up right next to me!

But that is exactly how these market deals work, and why more folks need to come on out and support local artists, because you never know what kind of treasures, in goods, services or people you will meet too!

Lori Ebbitt from Bijou Canoe

Lori came to market with a sweet yet simple pegboard and a mix of vintage and modern styled jewelry inspired by travel, nature, geometric shapes, art nouveau, pop culture, and all things geeky...yep...she had me at geeky!

And when I saw the Jayne inspired woven necklace, I knew shiny things were going to happen! It pairs beautifully with the Shiny wristlet I have in my shop!

My doll collector brain also though, geez, that would look super cute as a wall hanging in my doll’s room when I'm not wearing it….pretty cunning, don't you think?

As the very early starting day continued, we discussed art, geekiness, biking, adventures in applying for markets, music, JP Hoe Christmas Show(fab Winnipeg musician), and so much more!Similar to my mix of Jill-of-all-trades, Lori seems to forever obsess over new materials, creative projects, and learning new skills. Be sure to keep an eye on her lovely Instagram @BijouCanoe to see where the river and winds carry her!

The 8 hour market flew by, we tested some new sales techniques, one I will call “Do you like games of chance?”, shared laughs and had a great time!

So no matter if you are a newbie maker out at a market or a seasoned veteran, or an attendee, always remember that chatting with an artist could be a great thing!

Scroll down to find out where you can find more of Lori's work!

THREE QUESTIONS

I sometimes like to ask artists I meet three questions to learn a little more about their deepest art secrets...ooooh.... Lori was all game to take on the challenge!

What is your favourite colour?

My favourite colour is navy blue. I think because it makes me think of adventure and exploration - from the deepest depths of the ocean to the swirls of stars in far-off galaxies, to the shadowy mountains under a twilight sky.

What is your favourite medium (currently)?

Currently, my favourite medium is hand weaving on a loom. I find the under-over repetition so therapeutic and I love the ability to mix all kinds of textured yarns to create lovely wall hangings and mini wearable art tapestry necklaces.

What is the first thing you remember making?

The first 'major' craft I remember making was a scarf after I taught myself to knit. Not one to ease myself into things, I decided to jump right in and try my hand at an illusion scarf - a super rad alien pattern from a Stitch'n Bitch book, made with black and neon green yarn. It turned out fantastically and I remember being pretty darn proud of myself.

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https://www.stellarevolutiondesigns.com/blogs/creating/free-pick-up-in-winnipeg2017-09-02T16:52:00-05:002017-11-13T16:37:48-06:00Free Pick Up in Winnipeg!Brenda Giesbrecht
If you are in and/or head into Winnipeg to run errands and wish to pick up your Stellar Evolution Designs order, you can now select PICK UP as an option from the shipping types at no charge, yeppers, FREE!

I will coordinate day and time with you once your order has been created, as I too come into Winnipeg from out of town to stock the shops and run some errands as well. (about 50 minutes south of Winnipeg in the lovely French town of St. Jean Baptiste with a tasty Chinese restaurant.)

You can select one location from the following amazingly creative and fun shop below:

If you have geeks in your life, this is the place to visit to pick up your handmade order that I left for you there, and then browse the other makers' fine wares (*wink*).

Shop Local...online and in person

Either way shopping local allows these businesses to thrive, providing a space for us geeks to gather, form relationships and continue to create, play and explore.

They also support local artists like me, by allowing us a place to showcase our art, and expose it to more folks who might fall in love with it and take a piece home or get curious about our little business and shop from us online.

Without these local shops, I'm afraid life would be dull, friendless and sad, so please set your phasers, time machines or Tardis to adventure, and feel free to head out (order waiting for you or not) to one of these wonderful shops and explore what the local market has to offer.

Geek ON!

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https://www.stellarevolutiondesigns.com/blogs/creating/hellmouth-pillow-headed-to-toronto-fan-expo2017-08-29T14:37:00-05:002017-08-31T01:17:08-05:00Hellmouth Pillow Headed to Fan Expo Canada in Toronto!Brenda Giesbrecht
As you may know, I ADORE custom order requests, but this one was created for a real fun purpose!

A wonderful couple I often meet out at a couple of the local geek events in Winnipeg came up to me at the Buffy Sing Along event and asked if I could design a pillowcase that they could take around to Cons, the first one being Fan Expo Canada in Toronto, Ontario in September, to start collecting all the Buffy cast autographs.

I was like, YES!

Why a Pillowcase?

You might be asking yourself, why a pillowcase? Some of the PRO's for taking a pillowcase to be signed:

travel well, unlike other fandom merch, like boxed items, posters, pictures that could get crinkled, crushed or broken,

light to carry around after you get them signed (be sure to give ink a bit of time to dry),

easily displayed once you get home, either on the couch if you are brave enough, or in a display case. They can be washed, recommend hand washing in cold, and air drying, of course.

durable created from EcoCanvas which is 45% recycled polyester materials.

Deciding on Design

We decided that since the goal is to get main cast signatures from Buffy, we figured the symbol from the Hellmouth, where Sunnyday High was centralized would make the perfect central icon to have displayed on this pillow!

I created the design digitally, in the classic Buffy black and red colours, making it seal like, with blood filling the circular parts around the pentagram and the iconic B in the centre to finish it off.

Off to Fan Expo!

I wish the couple the best time out at Fan Expo (trying to contain immense jealousy....see below) and thanks for the fun opportunity to create this awesome design!

The above is just a FEW of the amazing people on the list to be at Fan Expo (also lots of Doctor Who cast!!)...see why the jealousy....AHHH!!!!! We can all live vicariously by following Fan Expo online, of course, and at least that is something!

AND, thanks to these awesome fans, this evil but awesome Buffy fan art pillow design now exists for all of us to enjoy!

You can now find it in the shop and choose to either enjoy as is or also begin the journey of hunting down cast autographs like they are monsters in the bowels of Sunnydale High!

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https://www.stellarevolutiondesigns.com/blogs/creating/miniaturist-artist-crazy-cat-lady-gloria-joe-from-lonely-cloud2017-08-04T13:57:00-05:002017-08-04T14:42:49-05:00Miniaturist, Artist, Crazy Cat Lady: Gloria Joe from Lonely CloudBrenda Giesbrecht
At Ai-Kon 2017 I was super pleased to come across some beautiful enough to eat miniature food, prepared by the lovely and local Gloria Joe under her biz Lonely Cloud!

Seriously, it all looks absolutely delicious and perfect for dolls! I just had to share with you! My dollie Dana particularly loved the ramen!

I do love her Instagram account, and you can find more of her creativity and handiwork in various forms at:

What favourite food would you enjoy seeing in miniature? Let me know in the comments below or on social media!

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https://www.stellarevolutiondesigns.com/blogs/creating/whats-in-the-cabinet-at-your-local-geek-shop2017-06-23T14:12:00-05:002017-06-23T14:16:32-05:00What's in the Cabinet at your Local Geek Shop?Brenda Giesbrecht
As a local maker, a few local shops carry some of my handmade geekery. But until now I hadn't really stopped to take a look at what else is in the cabinet beside my goods...

This week I ventured out into gloominess and rain heading out to drop off a fresh supply of my handmade geekery to one of my favourite local geek spaces, A Muse N Games, located at 1783 Portage Ave,in Winnipeg, MB.

They have SO MANY TABLETOP GAMES!! Just one of the many well-stocked walls.

After donning my official "lady geek business cap" with Scotia, she is one of the wonderfully chipper duo that owns this fine tabletop gaming (and so much more) establishment, I took a moment to really look at the other wonderful items that my handmade goods get to share space within the pretty display cabinet.

PUTTING THE AWE IN AWESOME

I wanted to share some of the things I came across with you. I truly loved everything I saw, from the chain maille owls themed in Avenger colours by Bonnie Maille:

There are MANY more items hanging up around the shop too by other artists, I just stuck to the cabinet for now! There may have to be a part 2!

I feel so lucky to be classed among these nerdy creatives and to have our works made available to be taken home by other such geeks who will appreciate their beauty, comedy, uniqueness and novelty.

So thanks to A Muse N Games for creating a space to share my work as well as these others, which helps us all grow our little businesses bit by bit!

None of this would be possible without...YOU!

A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who supports artists in shops like this in your town, online, or at conventions!

Sharing is caring and in this day and age, we love to hear feedback on why you love our art, items or other ideas of things you might think would be cool to make (I'd love to know what other plush weapons to make! Shoot me a message)

We'd also love for you to share our art with your friends, so that you can help our small businesses grow amongst the coolest of people!

So thanks again for making it possible for us to remain creative and make things we have only dreamed of, or things you have only dreamed of, come to life!

Geek On!

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https://www.stellarevolutiondesigns.com/blogs/creating/2017-ms-walk-completed-with-team-scrambled-legs2017-05-11T20:46:00-05:002017-05-11T20:52:35-05:002017 MS Walk Completed with Team Scrambled LegsBrenda Giesbrecht
Huzzah! The 2017 MS Walk was completed by a wild, crazy and also beautiful group of friends, family and significant others on May 7, 2017!

If you aren't aware, I do donate $1 from every sale to my fundraising efforts for this event and combine it with our Team Scramble Legs to raise and awesome total of $5,480.00 to help the MS Society of Canada continue their fantastic and groundbreaking research into new therapies and continued support of people with MS, like me and my cousin (below) who co-captain our team!

They also hold a host of other programs for support of caregivers, like my dear hubby, and for things like assistive technologies, like programs to help my broken eyes read the computer so I can type this blog post! They also helped me get a scooter, to assist with walking in hot weather, but really, I like to use it to beat all my "normal" teammates to the finish line ;P

Without the support of folks like you and others who donated to my fundraising efforts, I would have been much more afraid of what the future holds for someone with this chronic and debilitating illness when I was first diagnosed in 2011.

While I still don't know how MS will rear its ugly head next, I do know where to turn when I need support, advice, assistance or just someone to listen, as the MS Society has been there for me when I've needed them.

Thanks to all who helped make this event a success and to all who continue to support my little handmade business! Geek on!

When I attended the "Once More with Horrible Feeling Sing-Along" event last year, I thought more Whedonesque fun was impossible, but I was wrong dear friends...

Big Buffy hugs to the organizer Kendra for prompting the creation of this fine Scythe replica in fabric and stuffing for said event's prize giving! And, of course, as a new plush weapon in my shop for all the fans of the now 20-year-old, but still AMAZING, series!

After the art was done and the test prints came back looking great, and I shared them secretly with Kendra and we were so excited but could not tell a soul!

I went about stuffing and photographing them! In full adult size she is 40" long or in cute baby size at 24" she is just awesome to behold and would clobber the crap out of someone in a pillow fight.

I can't wait to show it to everyone at the live sing-along show and I will have some on hand if anyone would like to take one home to decorate their geekiest room, do a toddler photo shoot with their little Chosen One, or plan next Con's Buffster cosplay!

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https://www.stellarevolutiondesigns.com/blogs/creating/156022023-how-i-keep-it-geeky-and-green-while-crafting2017-04-22T07:00:00-05:002017-04-22T12:59:44-05:00How I Keep it Geeky AND Green while Crafting!Brenda Giesbrecht

HAPPY EARTH DAY EARTHLINGS! As another Earth Day goes by it always leaves me both happy and sad...happy because my older relatives have finally taken to recycling, sad because couldn't we be doing more?!?

Behind the Thrifting Doors

I did get to work on the production lines at a large chain of thrift stores for awhile, and man, it sure made me realize that as I don't have an issue with hand-me-downs, I'm just fine to never shop at a big box store again!

I know some people who would never buy a kettle or shoes or underwear from a thrift store, but my time behind the front lines did teach me so much about the quality of items kept, what times of years the things I want to find come in and what I should spend my hard earned cash on in other stores or make myself.

I bet you're still thinking about the underwear remark...here's the deal, they would get donations of boxes of NEW undies in packaging from supermarkets, but they were not allowed to resell the packaged undies as such, so they had to be unpackaged and tagged and hung, so it was NEW undies out on those racks. Hope that satisfies the curiosity...lol

Here's how I make my crafting a bit greener and geekier!

Recycle: Saving Superheroes

I still stalk the aisles of thrift stores for vintage superhero sheets to incorporate into my line of tote bags. These are like spotting rare animals in the wild, and one can get very excited once one finds them!

Because of their rarity, I usually have them available at in-person sales so someone is able to take them home that day! If any remain, they do make it to my website, but once they are gone, they are usually gone for good!

I am also open to making items from your sheets that fans have saved, should they like pillows, totes, messenger bags or other items created from them, that are more usable and practical than a twin bedsheet! Feel free to get in touch with me if you have a project in mind!

Clever Recycling of Clips

While sorting on the production lines, we would come across hundreds of lanyards from conferences that folks probably had to attend for business, and then promptly got rid of those "fun, novelty" giveaways. Most of the time the large thrift stores did not find them valuable at all or they just sit unpurchased, because, well, what will someone do with them?!

Well, I thought this was super sad, and also realized that the clip on the end of most of them is the same as I was using on my coin purses and wristlets!

So off I went to the local MCC's to collect these lanyards that just sit unpurchased and asked them to collect them for me, rather than garbage them.

I also find that keychains and rings can be plentiful and are generally unused yet made of strong materials. So I collect them up as well!

Reuse: Move to Reusing Straps on Bags & Purses

I used to sew all my bags with the same cloth straps as the fabric the bag was made from, but was noticing that it does tend to waste quite a lot of fabric, and that fans were asking for adjustable strap bags time and time again.

From my time on the line, I knew that many solo, high-quality laptop and briefcase straps came in as well as purse handles that could still carry your goods many more miles! And the feedback has been all good!

Reduce: Waste Reduction in the Fabric Department

Lastly, not only are most of my handmade geekery is created from fabric made with eco-friendly printing practices, water-based inks, they are custom print on-demand to reduce waste!

This way I only print what I need, when I need it and reduce the amount of waste as well. This is why you will see that many items in my shop have a "CREATION TIME" which is to account for the printing process and sewing!

As I continue to create I will continue to look for ways to reduce, reuse and recycle to keep things as friendly to our planet as possible!

Now get out there and keep our only planet clean while enjoying the sun, air, water and cool breeze that promises to bring us spring!

Do you have any tips or tricks? Feel free to share them in the comments below, I'd love to hear them!

Ok, so maybe not everyone uses podcasts the same way I do, i.e. to keep them amused and entertained while sewing the 55th coin purse at 3am on the 2nd last day before the largest Comic Con in Manitoba...

BUT, they are awesome for anyone who is:

commuting, road trips,

working on a simple hobby with their hands and have the capacity to listen to something else with their ears (without chopping their limbs off),

folks that have vision issues and can't read news articles, or books (yeah, again that's me),

Read on to get some recommendations on a short explanation for podcast newbies and a few of my more geeky and gory faves!

What is a Podcast?

Trust me, some folks just don't know. And I hate to judge, rather, I'd love to inform, so if you already know or listen to podcasts, just kindly scroll ahead to My Podcast Faves.

Podcasts, for those who like or require an actual definition, are digital audio files made available on the Internet for downloading to a computer or mobile device, typically available as a series, new installments of which can be received by subscribers automatically.

Part of the awesomeness is also most are made available for free, or the podcast app one may need to download them or listen to podcasts on your device might already come standard with your phone or are relatively low cost, like $5.99/monthly subscription or family plan service like Google Play.

Now, I super believe in your ability to be a grown-up, or perhaps better yet, a millennial, and start googling the 10 best Podcast apps for your "insert the type of device you have here" and you will certainly find some choices to play them. If your phone doesn't already come equipped with one. Pick one and give it a go! You got this!

If you like how to videos, here's Ira Glass and Mary Ahearn explaining how to listen to a podcast! So easy and adorable as Mary is on the "dark side of 85"!

Of course, at some point, each podcast may ask its dedicated followers to support the show with merch purchases, Patreon memberships or listening to an ad at the start.

As it does take time and funds to create these brilliant works of art, if you are able, you should probably do the world a favour and support the program you love with some cash! So they can keep doing what you (and they) love to do!

My Podcast Faves...

What I want to share with you is a few of the Podcasts that kept me from jamming my fingers into the needle and bleeding into all of my lovely handmade geekery in those wee hours....

I'm going to make a list in no particular order, a note about why I personally like them, and what I have sewn up while listening to them.

You can search them out on your Podcast app of your choosing to give them a try if they sound like a good fit for you!

You guys can thank my collaborator Sarah for getting me hooked onto this podcast presented as a radio show for the fictional town of Night Vale, reporting on the strange events that occur within it. The series was created in 2012 by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor.

Every episode of the podcast includes a piece of music as "the weather," each by a different independently published artist.

In an interview with NPR, Joseph Fink said that he "came up with this idea of a town in that desert where all conspiracy theories were real, and we would just go from there with that understood."

Why my Fave?

The narrator, Cecil, soothing voice makes all the crazy that goes on in Night Vale even more entertaining. I love bizzare twists and turns, weird humour and no assumptions over how the laws of physics, time or reality work.

I recommend starting from the beginning and allowing the stories to unfurl. There is no rush, as there are no clocks in Night Vale.

With a tagline of, "Fact is scarier than fiction" you can bet you're going to hear some horrible, true crime events.

While based out of Australia (very pleasant listening), with a host that goes by the name Anonomys, and many of the stories centering around Australia, it also covers some cases in USA, Canada and around the globe.

Why my Fave?

This show has continued to improve production value and creep out factor with each comprehensively researched story.

They also work to be respectful of the victims of these tragic cases, usually taking the time to list each person who lost their life. They don't sensationalize the murder or criminal at the centre of the case.

While you can generally begin anywhere, some may have two parts to continue a case, but you will be warned if this is the case.

I enjoy listening to this podcast while sewing up purses, not sure why, perhaps I would use it beat up any man trying to steal it or abduct me?

For a real Canadian east coast feel, there is the Night Time Podcast. It is an independent show sharing non - fiction stories from Atlantic Canada.

Topics range from true crime, mysteries, the paranormal, and sometimes the just weird. With local research and interviews with relevant guests, the show strives to provide listeners with a balanced and comprehensive telling of a story and strives to leave you with much to consider.

Why my Fave?

Jordan is definitely someone who delves deep into local stories and myths.

He has a simple set-up and gets right into the middle of the projects in the surrounding towns, often meeting folks where they are most comfortable, in the local Timmies!

Classically Canadian, educational with a twist of the paranormal is how I like my X-Files.

I very much enjoyed these shows while sewing for hours and it makes me want to plan a trip out to the East coast even more.

I listened to many, if not all of this podcast in the lead up to Horror Con, and in the sewing of all of my Anatomical Heart purses! He even has special episodes about the movie, My Bloody Valentine, as it was a 1981 Canadian horror movie filmed in Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia. Check out Part One here!

In 2010, a new forum appeared on Reddit.com called "Nosleep" and the concept was a place to post original scary stories about frightening experiences.

Basically, it was a place online to tell scary campfire stories.

A year later, it was growing so rapidly, one member proposed the idea of doing a podcast where some of the top stories would be narrated in audiobook style.

And the people voted yes! So a small group of members worked to put together an episode which was released in 2011, which is how it all started, with David Cummings, assuming the roles as host and producer.

‘The No Sleep Podcast’ is now an award-winning anthology series of original horror stories. David Cummings even hails from Toronto, Canada!

Why my Fave?

This Podcast didn't grip me for the first few seasons, as you can imagine, the stories and narration were a bit less produced than I expected. But understanding where it all started is amazing, and I did skip ahead to season 4 or 5 and started to enjoy it immensely from then on!

I highly recommend it for road trips, on dark stormy nights, camping or when you are alone at home. Put those headphones in and creep yourself out!

I sew numerous items while listening to this one, and most recently would be a Supernatural Arsenal Book Bag, with many demon slaying items to kill anything that dare go bump in the night!

NEW PODCAST ALERT!

This one just came up on my radar last week, as it was their first podcast!

Episode description from FanQuest: In this first episode, Dan is joined by Kyle, Allison, Sarah, Lyndon and Christiana. They talk about why they decided to start this podcast, Sarah goes into more detail about how volunteering for FanQuest is going to work, and everyone weighs in on the CW’s Arrowverse and Riverdale.

Why my fave?

What do I like more than chocolate, is strangely enough, transparency.

I know that most event organizations can't just let Schrodinger's cat out of the box to party with the radioactive source and/or poison cause that would get messy, but I do love the intention for openness to share ideas and updates about the highs and lows of Con Life!

The is also the general geeking out about pop culture things that are taking place in real life, of course! I am looking forward to hearing more from this podcast and wish them luck!

I'm busy sewing up geekery for this show as it approaches! More coin purses for every geek!

Have you tried Podcasts?

I'd love to know if you love or hate these ones above, or have others you would think I would enjoy!

Share them here in the comments or on the other social media channels!

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https://www.stellarevolutiondesigns.com/blogs/creating/buffy-has-been-slaying-for-20-years2017-03-07T01:13:00-06:002017-03-07T01:17:50-06:00Buffy has been Slaying for 20 years!Brenda Giesbrecht

No matter when you came into the Buffyverse fold, it is a tale as old as time...

In every generation, there is a chosen one. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness...with a bunch of cool friends and hilarity will ensue.

From the first episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, “Welcome to the Hellmouth,” which premiered on the WB Network on March 10th, 1997, when I was in um, grade...10ish...and rocking some late ’90s fashion myself, to the series finish with “Chosen” on May 30, 2003, it has since continued to live on in the hearts, minds, re-runs and further on currently in amazing comics, entertaining, enlightening fans new and old. Buffy truly is and continues to be a superhero all her own (and the Scoobies of course).

With twenty years of memories created by Joss Whedon, from the Scooby Gang, dusting vamps, interesting wardrobes, big bads and horrible heartbreaking moments, it is something that I find Buffy fans can connect with again and again while out and about at Cons or geek events.

For example, this awesome theatre full of Buffy jovial fans at a sing-along event screening of "Once More, with Feeling", all going GRRR ARGH with little jelly monsters on our fingers at the finale! How awesome!

A shared consciousness, a bond beyond a simple TV series, but rather a devoted and diverse Buffy fan community that is compassionate, funny, friendly and strong as hell.

I love celebrating that community with each piece I create in my Slayers Collection as an homage and inspiration to the Buffy fandom!

So mark your calendars because on March 10th, which the Internet will be calling Buffy Day, I will be offering a Buffy Day Sale to all you awesome and dedicated Buffy fans out there!

You can save 20% off all Slayer creations in celebration of the 20 year anniversary of this superb superhero, Buffy the Slayer of the Vampyres!

A few of the most asked questions I get asked when out with my 3D printed designs and gifts is in regards to getting started in 3D printing. Questions like:

How much does a 3D printer cost?

Where do you get them?

Which printer is the best? Which one would a beginner use?

What is the best medium to print with?

How long does printing take?

What is the best modeling program to use?

Of course, I LOVE telling folks about what I use at home, from our experience with our three 3D printers (currently building our 4th), but I wanted to have a place to send them that they could learn even more!

Maker's Muse channel is the perfect place to dip your toe or dive in deep with 3D printing reviews, tutorials and guides!

They believe in empowering creativity through rapid prototyping technologies and take pride in providing unbiased and fair reviews of 3D Printers, 3D Scanners and Software.

They release at least 3 videos a week - so you will not have a lack of awesome info at your eyeballs of fingertips about the most recent info in the 3D printer world if you subscribe to their channel!

Here is just one example of the wonderful knowledge they share (and Yoda head)! Awesome-nerdness!

What to first print with your 3D printer?

"At a loss for what to print with your first 3D printer? Have no idea where to start? Here's Makers Muse to the rescue! Here is my very own tutorial to help you get started."

NOTE: we started with calibration cubes, sooo many cubes...then moved to our Alien heads!

Simone is also starting a great adventure about training for getting into Space....this should be a blast!

Comments, Questions, Haikus?

I hope you enjoyed this little peek into my weird and wonderful break times and enjoyed the first of this new vignette "My Geeky Faves"!

I'd love to know if you have any other YouTube maker heroes or creators I should also be watching or have created something wonderfully terrible or that supremely failed yourself! You can do it! Leave it in the comments below or feel free to message me.

I also invite you to subscribe to my YouTube channel as well and watch some of our 3D printed time-lapses of aliens at my YouTube Channel HERE!

When the chance comes around to highlight the features of a bearded dragon, like Tad Cooper, on fabric, one does not delay!

Inspiration and motivation can come in many forms. The Spoonflower Desert challenge inspires designs that highlight the resilient animals who’ve adapted to thrive in the harsh desert heat. Bucketfeet is building a collection of desert themed footwear to raise awareness of the Native American Rights Fund (NARF). (Yes, NARF! Pinky would love it.) The winning design will be a featured shoe in this summer’s collection release.

For every design entered into the February challenges, Spoonflower will also be donating $1 dollar to NARF! How awesome is that?!

So now comes the time to explain what I designed and at the end of this strange fairy tale, if you like, you can vote for it!

The Muse

I had just re-watched Galavant, a musical, comic, fantasy, television series that aired on ABC and is currently on Netflix. While not laughing non-stop at King Richard (played by the talented Timothy Omundson, also from Supernatural, Psych) and the Unicorn....

my all time favourite animal on the show is Tad Cooper, a fab bearded dragon, whom King Richard believes is a REAL dragon!

Of course it is the musical number King Richard and Tad had together that really gets me, right in the feels....

The Actual Concept

Ah, ok, laughter subsiding...After doing some real research into where these lizards thrive, many image searches and getting mesmerised by their fantastic scales, I took to my drawing board and highlighted their scales, ridges and horns with all kinds of various lines.

The shape and lines also represent the home of these bearded little guys, which is mainly Australia (not the lush hills and dales), from the circles which represent the grains of sand in the desert to the lines and ridges representing the tall buttes found on the continent I one day wish to visit.

Due to my vision issues, I prefer high contrast and bold lines in most of my art, so that's the way I've left him, to stand out amongst the crowd!

Now set to repeat and there you have it! A pattern of Tad Coopers, er, I mean bearded dragons, or perhaps REAL dragons??

VOTE for THIS design - "Just a Tad of Bearded Dragon-Desert King"

Public voting is now open! You can vote for my design called "Just a Tad of Bearded Dragon-Desert King" as well as for any others you think are super awesome and support independent artists!

Conventions are great places for meeting new and creative people, feasting on eye candy and usually some real candy...

Personally I like to add one new creative piece of art to my list each and every Con. I'm super pumped to have friend and fellow artist JM.Paterson join me in my booth for the 2017 Horror Con at the RBC Convention Centre on Feb 11 & 12th!

Jen is an artist who works in a variety of media including but not limited to acrylics, inks, and copic markers. Through her portraits she explores humanity and our relationship with the natural world, as well as our relationship with animals.

Her unique work is inspired and influenced by comic book art, art nouveau, and several contemporary artists of varying styles including Echo Chernik, Loish, and Glenn Arthur.

This is one lovely piece I have hanging in my home! I just love those portraits!

Want to see more right now? JM.Paterson has a few of her most unique and popular prints available for viewing and immediate purchase on Etsy and you can keep an eye on what she is creating on social media here:

Of course, if you come to Horror Con, I bet she will have some other beautifully creepy pieces available!

Gaze into the eyes of one of those lovely, gory and haunting portraits and you may just fall in love with one on Valentine's!

You can also come check out the new "Choose Your Own Fandom" purse I'm making just for her...ooh teaser! Stay Tuned to my Stellar Facebook Page for more on that one!

So come on out in person and say hi to us at our shared booth! We'd just love to have you come say hi, ask us any type of artsy or sewingish questions, talk fave scary movies and tv or stalk us creepily from across the aisle, no wait, not that last part...

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https://www.stellarevolutiondesigns.com/blogs/creating/fandom-mashup-bags-and-christmas-present-reveals2016-12-28T18:22:00-06:002016-12-28T18:43:41-06:00Fandom Mashup Bags and Christmas Present RevealsBrenda Giesbrecht
It is sometimes so hard NOT to post the fun custom orders I get to do at Christmas time!

Now you might remember these lovely Supernatural fans, Sonya (L) and Syd (R) from C4 Comic Con this year.

They placed two fab custom orders for messenger bags, which were to be part and parcel of their Christmas gifts from their totally awesome Mom! (Also, Sonya is already awesome for wearing one of my other SPN Slouchy Bags in this photo!)

So they knew which fabrics they were getting and the style of bag, but it is a different thing to actually see it IRL (In Real Life)....

Supernatural Baby! Fandom Messenger Bag

Syd had wanted a really Baby-centric themed bag, and that's what we put together!

The front flap features "The Many Emotions of Baby", and when flipped up features "Dean Scream" faces underneath-HILARIOUS! Keeping it dark and mysterious with a black cotton twill makes for a durable bag.

The helpful little pockets feature a collage of Baby's grill and body. Inside the bag the lining is a wonderful hand drawn and watercolour painted illustration of the necessary Supernatural Hunter's Arsenal, generally reserved for Baby's trunk, but could also be carried inside this messenger bag.

The final detail is in the back pocket, as you unzip using the protection symbol charm, of course, you come to find fabric featuring blueberry pie, one of Dean's favourite! I never get tired of this very literal INSIDE joke!

So it is quite the Baby/Dean Supernatural Dream messenger bag indeed! I love how it all came together!

Deathly Hallows/Slayer/SPN Mashup

Sonya was looking for a particular sized bag to hold a laptop for school, and so we made sure to have the proper dimensions, and some extra foam padding for this project.

She did fall in love with the beautiful watercolour Deathly Hallows fabric from the Harry Potter inspired collection. We paired it with a navy cotton twill and I think it is just so classy.

Of course, she wanted to hide a few other powerful fandoms around the bag as well, just to prove she is definitely a force to be reckoned with, should anyone try to take her on!

Under the flap with a magnetic closure, we mixed in a black and white graphic Slayer print for added Chosen One strength.

Finally on the back, the zipper pocket with a Deathly Hallows charm, exists a pocket with Supernatural fan fabric inside! Baby and angel blades are partying in this pocket, probably playing some classic rock inside!

I Adore Custom Orders!

As I'm sure you can tell, I just love making people's fandom mashup dreams a reality!

The response I got after sending the photos to the Mom and letting her know the girls gift were en route was just the best!

"So Excited. The pictures were beautiful. The Impala bag looks amazing! Who knew there were so many choices of supernatural fabric."

Check out the Custom Order Gallery for more inspirational ideas or take a peek around the Shop for more fabrics and products that I have all made by hand!

Below I'm holding my Firefly loving Dollie purse, great for touring, and Sarah is carrying a custom Camera Case, featured in the custom order gallery, which contains the Firefly fabric she designed inside of it!

Whether out at a live event or via email, I can provide samples of fandom fabrics I can find for you, and the type of items I can create, from bags and wallets to book covers and blankets, and make anything your geeky or gory loving hear requests!

You can also check out what others are saying about there orders on the Reviews page-be warned, there are some really adorable photos of babies in Jayne hats!

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https://www.stellarevolutiondesigns.com/blogs/creating/spoonflower-weekly-design-challenge-ditsy-mistletoe-lovey-dovey2016-12-08T19:31:00-06:002016-12-08T19:32:44-06:00Spoonflower Weekly Design Challenge: Ditsy Mistletoe Lovely DoveyBrenda Giesbrecht
Yep, it was time I challenged myself to another Spoonflower Weekly Design Challenge, and this time I kept it Christmas themed, as 'tis the season!

Ditsy Mistletoe Design Challenge: Design a "ditsy" small scale surface pattern design incorporating that well known plant, the mistletoe, just in time for holiday projects!

What the F*ck is a Ditsy Pattern?

Never fear, a definition is here...a ditsy print is quite small in scale, and the design motifs are usually scattered or random rather than being ordered in a definable pattern like rows or stripes.

At a distance, a ditsy print looks almost like a solid colour, the scale is so small. We see them often with florals. Here are some examples:

Of course, the swatch of my final design below and on Spoonflower of the other designs will be scaled to the 8x8 inch square size to help show off the fab details.

Now that you're a surface design expert, and before heading over to Spoonflower to vote for your favourites, here's the breakdown on how I created my design.

Concept

Mistletoes attach to and penetrate the branches of a tree or shrub by a structure called the haustorium, through which they absorb water and nutrients from the host plant. Hey, this plant is a douche-bag...

Now, I didn't have all the time in the world to draw ravenous parasitic plants sucking face (maybe later)....I was also feeling kind of down about the state of world politics at the time of designing.

So...I did start sketching and got to the place where I had a cute shape for doves that represented peace and mistletoe sprigs and berries that looked cute, and that brought back the HAPPY! Here are some of those first rough sketches:

And if you didn't know where the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe came from, here's some Google knowledge to nerd it up one more time:

"The custom of kissing under the mistletoe is referred to in late 18th century England:[17] the serving class of Victorian England is credited with perpetuating the tradition.[18]The tradition dictated that a man was allowed to kiss any woman standing underneath mistletoe, and that bad luck would befall any woman who refused the kiss.[19][20] One variation on the tradition stated that with each kiss a berry was to be plucked from the mistletoe, and the kissing must stop after all the berries had been removed."

And now you know-smooches, I guess?

Colour Scheme

I really liked looking at vintage colours and decided to pull from a few I've been storing away for awhile now. I ended up just keeping it to white, a few shades of grey and a blue/green teal.

Final Design

I'm very pleased with how the design turned out! I see it as adding a spoonful of extra hope and love to troubled times with two sweet doves to represent peace sharing a kiss under the mistletoe as we all need that during the holidays!

I love the stylized kissing doves, they are just too cute under those hemiparisitic branches ;P

I've ordered this on gift wrap, and can't wait to see it this weekend! But I also think it would make great wedding decor or paper art as well as home decor or a cute kids outfit!

You Can Vote For My Design!

Vote for Your Favourites: Vote for as many or as few entries as you like by clicking on the preview imagesHERE!

There are so many beautiful designs to vote for in this contest, I'd love it if you could take a moment to support independent designers like me and take some time to view their designs and vote for the ones that catch your eye!

For fairness, designs are presented in a random order for each person who votes.

Your votes are submitted only after you reach the end of the voting pages and submit your votes.

All of us designers appreciate each and every vote and favourite on our designs. It really does mean so much to us that the hours spent pondering colour, scale, placement and repeat go appreciated into cyberspace and into print on material, wallpaper and gift wrap someone will love!

Live long and prosper this holiday season!

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https://www.stellarevolutiondesigns.com/blogs/creating/you-can-take-the-girl-away-from-her-geeky-things-but-you-cant-take-the-geek-out-of-the-girl2016-12-06T18:10:00-06:002016-12-06T18:10:29-06:00You can take the girl away from her geeky things, but you can't take the geek out of the girl...Brenda Giesbrecht
It is holiday party season folks! I hope you are having a blast party planning and joining friends, family and fellow geeks and creatives in having fun with food, drink and like fellow girlfriends and I last weekend, PAINT!

PAINT PAR-TAY!

One of my besties had her 30 something-ish....b-day party with a few friends over for beverages, noshing goodies and our own private paint night party lead by a wonderful creative from Willowcat Studio, Andrea!

Inspiration-Winter Getaway

We were given a hint on Willowcat Studio's Instagram page that it would entail painting a warm and inviting winter escape teaser, including a sunset, beach and blue sea!

Which triggered my geek mind into thinking of this episode from one of my fave animated sci-fi cartoons....

So as we finished up the sunset, beach and trees, we were then told we would be adding a cute little turtle to the corner of the beach.

And then I asked what appeared to be a weird question to the rest of the group...

"Can I paint a washing machine, instead of a turtle?"

And below was the final result that now hangs on my wall at home, making my Futurama loving friends bust a gut when they see it, and leaves others utterly confused:

Beauty and fun is in the eye of the beholder, is it not?

WHY NOT?

After we all stopped laughing, Andrea was awesome and said, GO FOR IT! She was super and encouraged everyone to really paint how they viewed the world, or their version of the beach/landscape.

No two person's versions turned out the same, and it was super interesting to hear the stories of folks who had taken warm destination trips, and those who one day dreamed to take one.

It really was quite fun, and a way to let loose some creative energy, relax and play, though one attendee did get a little stressed. Andrea did take time to help and give her some pointers to get her pieces looking as she wanted them, and in the end, it turned out well!

So if you get the opportunity to attend one of these events, I say GO FOR IT, with reckless abandon! And if you're so geekily inclined, you may want to ask the instructor if you could paint a Tardis instead of a phonebooth or an Deathstar instead of moon...hehe...

Geek on!

WANT TO BOOK A PAINT PARTY WITH ANDREA?

Andrea loves working with kids, adults and geeks of all ages to create art of all kinds! She is based out of southern Manitoba and all you have to do is email her at hello.willowcat@gmail.com to book her for your next bash or to get more details!

And if you are having one, I'd love to get an invite and paint a Tardis next! hehe

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https://www.stellarevolutiondesigns.com/blogs/creating/how-to-install-a-book-into-a-custom-book-bag2016-11-16T21:07:00-06:002016-11-16T21:08:34-06:00How to Install A Book into your Custom Book BagBrenda Giesbrecht

Howdy folks, I know this post might seem deceivingly easy...but most will try too hard to get it into the book bag when there is a really easy trick!

Check out this little "how to" video I just uploaded to make things clear and simple for all the snazzy new book bag owners or receivers of this great gift as the holidays approach!

How to install a book into your book bag:

There is still time!

If you would like to put in a custom order for a book bag, and you live in Canada or the US, let me know ASAP and I will do my best to create one in time for the holidays for you!

CLICK HERE to head over to the Custom Order>Custom Book Bag page and type in your dreams in the email form and send it off to the North Pole (aka St. Jean Baptiste) and I will do my best to advise you of order timelines!

If you celebrate Ukrainian Christmas in January, I can totally flex to that timeline ;P

I love pretending I'm one of Santa's happy elves making wishes come true!

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https://www.stellarevolutiondesigns.com/blogs/creating/how-many-sewing-machines-are-too-many-refurbishing-while-i-wait2016-11-11T14:15:00-06:002016-11-11T14:18:44-06:00How many sewing machines are too many? Refurbishing while I wait...Brenda Giesbrecht
While awaiting the shipment of awesome geeky fabrics for all the custom orders from Comic Con, I managed to get two new-to-me sewing machines! Cause 8 machines is never enough...

First, you may wonder, why does one need sooo many sewing machines? Well, each sewing machine has its own unique characteristics, talents and special features. I also keep one or two as back ups, should one happen to need "vacation" at a critical time, usually just before a big event like C4 Comic Con or the super fun Sing Along with Horrible Feeling, Once More night!

While I do have a new Husqvarna Viking Opal which has been working like a dream and making everything I've been throwing at it! Though as I've been including more bags and thicker materials, I'd hate to overtax or max out this wonderful machine. So I've always had a wish for an industrial machine...bigger, faster, louder, but stronger and more powerful...

And wouldn't you know that while I was making fan's wishes come true at Comic Con, I'd meet a lovely man who'd leave me details for a friend who was looking to sell one and make my dreams come true!

And after a call and a visit, despite it not running, the hulking machine looked like it was revive-able.

Before...

After "Large Marge" (Juki DDL-555) in my Studio

This beast of a machine needed some TLC, cleaning, some new cables, a belt and some rewiring, and other machining bits that luckily the Hubby was able to create for me. I'm still awaiting a few other parts in the mail, but it is really coming together well!

And boy, can it sew, FAST! I can't wait to make some handles and straps fly through there!

Oldie but a Goody!

Now this one was kind of a surprise, as I had put a bid on it at an MCC Thrift Store Auction, and when I hadn't heard from them at the beginning of Nov, I figured I didn't win it.

Lucky me, I was second in line to win and when the first was a no show, well, I got the call to come and pick it up! It is a Singer 127 on a treadle cabinet, made in St. John's, QC, Canada in 1945. Here is an image of the old factory...

I have another old Singer, from 1914, that I'm refurbishing, which could also work in this table, so it would be fun to put both on and play with such solid machines that have lasted over 100 years!

DIYer TIP: Buy the Best Tools You Can Afford at the Time

For all the DIYers out there, myself included, who started all of these projects on humble thrift store machines (which are still my back up machines), just remember, you can do amazing things with small inputs to start!

Just get the best tools you can afford at the time. As your skills grow, or you find what part or pieces of the hobby you really love to create, then you can purchase more dedicated tools.

How about you?

Have you ever restored or refurbished a machine of your own? I'd love to hear from you, any tips, tricks or disasters? Feel free to share them in the comments below!

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https://www.stellarevolutiondesigns.com/blogs/creating/showing-your-love-for-tentacles-has-never-been-easier2016-11-04T00:40:00-05:002016-11-04T00:43:12-05:00Showing your Love for Tentacles has Never Been EasierBrenda Giesbrecht
As Comic Con winds down, and Christmas gears up, I still manage to find time to create in different ways, adding some wonderful wall art to the mix!

While taking breaks between sewing, I do sketch and work on new designs (I know, doesn't really sounds like a break, but trust me, it is fun!). And when the results comes out unique, or weird, like this tentacle loving art, I just think it needs to be shared with you!

If you like finding interesting gifts for people you know love octopi or other tentacled creatures, well hey, this might be just right for Christmas or birthday giving!

Available with two different backgrounds, navy or white, and at $15 a piece, you can choose the colour combo you feel truly expresses the joy tentacles bring to your life!

Do you love the weird, wonderful world of the ocean? Love mysterious, dangerous things with tentacles? Then this hand drawn piece of art is just perfect for you, or a tentacle loving friend! I've dressed one up in a frame from Ikea, looks pretty sharp!

A great image to creep guests out while they are in your washroom, or to hang in the corner of your bedroom to make you smile each morning as you rise, this lovely piece was created with a love of all things long, suckery and puckery.

When ordered, you will receive a colour image of the original copic and ink illustration printed on high quality white, 65-lb. index paper, 8.5" x 11". A white border is left around the edges with the actual image measuring roughly 10.75" x 8.25".

Fandoms are like families, and when C4 Con time comes around, it means it's time for a wild family reunion!

This year's Con felt even more like a reunion as it was my second year bringing my handmade geekery to Artist Alley for C4 Comic Con in the newly expanded RBC Convention Centre on Oct 28-Oct 30th, 2016!

I had past stellar fans come back to my booth this year to let me know just how much they really, really loved a piece their purchased. New folks came by who just pointed and laughed at the things I make, which is the exact right response!

It was wonderful to connect or reconnect with everyone and to have my craft be something near and dear to their nerdy hearts!

It was also super fun to hand deliver custom orders to Supernatural fans that just loved it to pieces! See the smiles in the gif below as she flashes Dean screams to everyone! Hehehe, clever design, eh?

Supernatural Family

Of course, with this Con being Supernatural focused as both Lucifer, aka the wonderful Mark Pellegrino (also from Lost, The Returned, Dexter and so much more), as well as a beautiful replica of Baby in the building, and our very own Cas mascot in our booth, it was fantastic to have so many fans of Supernatural to geek out with over the weekend!

Free Q and A Sessions

I was lucky enough that my booth helper Bonnie held down the fort for me to sneak away to check out the free Q and A session with Mark which was hilarious and had fans laughing and clapping their hands.

We all listened intently while he discussed acting techniques and ideas on realist and philosophical beliefs. I find Q & A's interesting as they usually remove the mask of the characters we see on TV or films and see a glimpse of the people behind them and find out they think the same things as we do, ie. they too have Netflix marathons and are just as curious about what makes life tick.

Meet and Greets

I also LOVED having fans come by after their meet and greets and signings or photos to share them with me! It was great to see and hear all about them!

I also love that these die hard Supernatural fans bring my gear into the photo ops too! Squee!

Baby...

Sonya (L) and Syd (R) look ready to kill any demon that comes their way! Plus Sonya's custom Sam/Dean Bag she is sporting, which I created as a surprise Christmas gift for her last year, also fits right in! And thanks again to their awesome mom Michelle, they did find me again and both girls will be getting a new Supernatural themed custom messenger bag this year!

I love Luci...

I also had stellar fan Micheline, who loved the newest graphic black and white pillow in the Hunters/Supernatural collection with the saying, "If loving Luci is wrong, I don't want to be right."

She picked it up right before her meet and autograph signing with Mark. As she is awesome, she actually took it right on into the snapshot with her, while giving her a smug Lucifer look and he signed the pillow as well! How cool is that!

Art Everywhere!

Coming together as a group of diverse, unique and talented artists is one experience I never get tired of during Con! It is always so inspiring to see so many different interpretations, styles, colours, shapes and forms art can take.

With this being my second year here, it was also amazing to meet those I was introduced to last year and to see how their art has grown and evolved! To help folks find us in Artist Alley, we did do a little pre-Con promotion and put together an Artist Alley Handmade Holiday Gift Guide to showcase some of the fantastic talents!

Of course, I've now met many more fine folks to add to my list of wonderful artists for next year!

Cosplay Catching the Eye

As usual, the costumes and cosplay of kids to adults walking the floor were truly amazing!

The amount of time and effort put into the creations was unreal! There is a great Facebook page, Winnipeg Conventions, dedicated to catching them all (or nearly all of them) that you can visit HERE!

Wrapping Up

There were still many more events that took place, which from the view from my booth I was unable to attend, but if you saw something you liked, feel free to add it to the comments below or share it with me on your fave social channels!

From Bonnie my lovely assistant and Dean for the day (R), Cardboard Cas (C) and myself aka Lady Sam (R), I do look forward to continuing to meet more geeks out and about at other events through the year, and then returning to geek it up again at Con!

Of course a BIG thanks to the volunteers and organizers of the Con as well, as we know without you this event would not happen!

With only a few or so weekends till Christmas, get all your geek holiday shopping done with Artist Alley at C4 Comic Con!

Artists and handmade creators alike will be out in full creative force in Artist Alley at the Central Canada Comic Con (C4 Con for short) in Artist Alley on Oct 28-Oct 30th, 2016 at the RBC Convention Centre in Winnipeg, MB. Many artists also have online shops and places to get geeky goods throughout the year!

I worked with a few of the other creators to make a little handmade holiday gift guide for you, sharing a bit about us artists, highlighting a gift or two and sharing our booth locations at this year's Con (click here for access to the interactive floor map)!

For the Lady who Loves to Cosplay and Cook...

These adorable, handmade aprons are amazing! Each cosplay apron is one size fits all!

You can use it as a quick costume or you can wear around your house while singing "This is Halloween..." at the top of your lungs and baking delicious skull shaped Christmas cookies. It doesn't get better than that during the holidays!

Reta works hard on the aprons, giving them as much love and attention as possible and it shows!

For the Superheroine Lover...

I met Jen, or JM Paterson as you will find her booth listed, in a round about way, as I had the pleasure of making a few custom items for her.

Then I got to see some of her wonderful art at last year's Con! I became a fan and now have a few pieces hanging right in my own home! I do love how she is able to craft a great portrait!

She is an artist in Winnipeg who works in a variety of media. By using popular themes such as life and death, Jen's other works touch on various overlapping themes of light and darkness, presenting imagery that can be both beautiful and disturbing.

Where to find Jen?

You can find Jen in her JM Paterson booth across from Cosplay Alley, booth #A1109.

For the Sci-fi Guy...

Of course, I do have to put in a little piece for the sci-fi guy in your life...and with help from the Hubby and his 3D printer, we aim to make a cool little stocking stuffer, a Xenomorph Alien head keychain, in original black or glow-in-the-dark (white in daylight, green glow-in-the-dark)!

We will be having a sale on them over the weekend too! Reg $15, on sale for $10 ea or two for $15!

This is the only form of "bling" the Hubby agrees to have on a keychain. We are also bringing a few larger ones (6" xenomorph heads, and one wall mount face) should someone need a terrifying desk buddy to ward off annoying coworkers!

Where to find me?

You can find me in booth #A802, beside Aria's Apparel, near the arena and around the corner from the replica of Baby!

For the Bold...

I just met Matt and his epic art this past Sept at the fall Comic and Toy Sale. A graphic designer and illustrator in Winnipeg, he loves bold colour, contrast and uses a unique palette which really sets his style apart. His art is really eye catching!

I will definitely be saving some cash to head over and pick up a piece or two during the Con...perhaps the xenomorph....always the xenomorph...

Where to Find Matt?

Matt will be at the Small Caps Co. booth #A413 at the Con, but you can also grab some awesome gear from his Society 6 Shop, or take a peek at new projects and prints on Instagram or Facebook!

For the Dapper Builder...

At last year's Con I met a well looking dude who made some awesome bows and other geeky accessories and jewelry....and it looks like he is at it again this year....with his shop, Abandoned Warehouse Crafts! This gift is for the dapper builder in your life!

This LEGO bow tie is definitely a piece that catches attention. Mounted on a 16 inch elastic with hook-and-eye closure, it always sparks a conversation.

They are made with REAL LEGO, so you can treat them like a base plate and build!

Right now, they are available in red, white, grey, and classic black.

Matching cufflinks also available this weekend!

Where to Find Abandoned Warehouse Crafts?

You can find Christoper and his snazzy, handmade geek accessories in booth #A806 (two down from me-how cozy, surrounded by so many awesome crafters!).

You can also keep up with this creative work-at-home-dad, professional dork, and distracted by shiny and cute things dude by following him on Instagram!

P.S. Wear Comfortable Shoes...

Of course, Comic Con can seem overwhelming as there are a few hundred other amazing creatives at this event, but now that you know a little about four of us, I hope it makes it a little less intimidating to:

Visit Artist Alley.

Say hi or ask us about our art or creations. We'd love to answer any of your questions, such as tell you how it was made or what inspired us to create our pieces.

Hopefully be inspire you to create your own art! You can do it!

Find something you or that geek you know would love to have in your home or carry with you daily to show off your fandom!

Get some Christmas shopping done while having a blast geeking out!

Other than that remember to wear your most comfortable shoes (I don't care if they are not fancy, your feet will thank me) and happy geeking!

Of course you can usually shop from these artists anytime during the year by visiting them online as well!

I'm always working to make cool things for awesome people, but I also want to make shopping online for you amazing folks as easy as possible!

New Page to Help You

I just wanted to post a quick note that I've added a handy new page called Shipping Info that lists the shipping rates which are based on your order value to wherever in the world you live!

Holiday Deadlines Approaching

I've also included the order deadline dates for the holidays that seem to be fast approaching...should you wish to make a custom order for the nerd in your life! To learn more about custom creations I also recommend visiting the How to Custom Order page.

I hope you are all fabulously nerdy today and enjoying the wonderfully cool fall weather!